Vishal koul

Manoj Adlakha, CEO, American Express India on five ways to create a culture of empowerment

Trust is where it begins: Trust reduces insecurity by instilling a sense of safety for employees to take more risks without feeling vulnerable. It is the leaders’ responsibility to encourage different views and ensure that employees believe that ‘you have their back’ when expressing divergent views.

See the larger picture: What you choose to do for a living is one of the most meaningful decisions you can make. Empowerment comes from an understanding and appreciation of the larger picture. It is critical that people understand why they are in business in the first place.

Invest in development: Empowerment manifests when you provide your teams the tools and knowledge they need to make their own decisions.Expertise leads to greater confidence which in turn leads to creative thinking and better decision-making.

Fail fast, learn faster: If your team isn’t making a few mistakes along the way, then you aren’t encouraging them to experiment enough. Punishing failures reinforces conventional thinking and behaviour. The important thing is to not make the same mistake twice. Let your people fail fast, learn faster and move on quickly.

Reward, recognise, repeat: It is extremely important for leaders to show their appreciation towards people who demonstrate the ability to take risks and go the extra mile. A behaviour that is rewarded is repeated.

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